Green is the colour of prevention

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, what foods come to mind? Corned beef? Soda bread? Green beer? Instead of opting for questionably-dyed alcoholic beverages, why not use this St. Patty’s day to challenge yourself into including more antioxidant-rich green vegetables into your diet? This may not sound like an appetizing alternative at first, but it can be.

Plus eating a diet rich in a variety of vegetables, including dark green vegetables, can help to lower your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia and certain types of cancer.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends eating at least one dark green vegetable per day, which could include vegetables such as kale, broccoli, romaine lettuce or spinach.

Keep in mind that 1/2 cup of cooked, or one cup of raw leafy greens counts as one serving and 1/2 cup of all other green vegetables, raw or cooked will count as one serving.

Try starting a new tradition on St. Patrick’s Day by eating at least one serving of green vegetables with every meal.

Here are some tips to help you get in your greens:

- Top a pizza with kale, spinach, broccoli or finely sliced Brussel sprouts

- Add an extra handful of romaine lettuce to a sandwich

- Add kale, Swiss chard or arugula to scrambled eggs

- Keep frozen broccoli on hand for a quick addition to any meal

- Add grated zucchini to a variety of baked goods including muffins, loaves and cookies

- Blend broccoli and kale into a nutritious broccoli, kale and lentil soup (recipe below)

- Lighten-up a homemade pesto by blending in a handful of spinach

- Blend romaine lettuce, spinach or kale into a banana smoothie. Make sure to remove the centre rib/stalk of the kale before blending.

- Substitute your flour wrap for a collard green leaf. Simply cut along each side of the centre rib and you have two wraps!

Your meal and snack options are only limited by your creativity.

Look at the foods you would normally eat and think: can I add a green vegetable to this? Not only will you be decreasing your chances for developing a chronic disease by increasing your intake of green vegetables, you’ll also be creating delicious new recipes.

Try the recipe below or search for your own meal ideas this St. Patrick’s day.

Remember, a nutritious diet rich in green vegetables can help to prevent illness, lower your risk for developing disease and increase your quality of life; green beer won’t have the same effect.

Broccoli, kale and lentil soup Makes 4 servings Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

This recipe includes a couple green vegetables in kale and broccoli as well as a plant-based source of protein, lentils. The soup is even better when made ahead, and then reheated for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp butter

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/8 tsp hot pepper flakes or smoked paprika

- Salt and pepper

- 1/3 cup dried red lentil, rinsed

- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

- 4 cups broccoli (stems and florets separated), chopped

- 4 cups packed trimmed kale, chopped

- 2 cups milk, heated

- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté onions, garlic, hot pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper for about 5 minutes or until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir in lentils, broth and broccoli stems. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Stir in broccoli florets, kale and milk. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent boiling for 15-20 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are soft.

3. Use an immersion blender in the pot or transfer soup to a blender or food processor, in batches, and purée, until smooth or slightly chunky, as desired.

4. Return to pot, if necessary. Heat over medium heat until steaming, but do not let boil. Stir in more milk if soup is too thick. Drizzle in lemon juice while stirring. Season with up to 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 222 Calories, 7g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 29g Carbohydrates, 5.2g Fibre, 0g Sugar, 15g Protein, 182mg Sodium

Recipe courtesy of: www. cookspiration.com